Notary Public

A notary public (sometimes called a notary or a public notary) in New Zealand is a lawyer authorised by the Archbishop of Canterbury in England to officially witness signatures on legal documents, collect sworn statements, administer oaths and certify the authenticity of legal documents for use overseas.

A notary public uses an embossing tool (seal) to verify their presence at the time the documents were signed. When visiting a notary public, it is important to have formal identification with you, ideally your passport or photo drivers’ licence. If the document being notarised refers to a specific identity document, the notary will need to sight that document as well. In some cases documents once signed by the notary will need to be sent to the Department of Internal Affairs in Wellington for authentication.

For more information about Notary Publics in
New Zealand, visit www.notarypublic.org.nz